“And that would be?” Derek asked.
“Find William Straus, Brian Lucietta, and Stanley Mix. I need you to find them and keep them safe. I want to punish those assholes for what they did to my family. Not that I wouldn’t be glad if they were killed, but I want to make them suffer in the a court of law and in prison.”
“I understand. Do you have any suggestions as to where Straus and Mix may be holding up?”
“If I knew that I wouldn’t need you, would I?”
“Just trying to save you some money, Mr. O’Connell. The longer I spend on this case, the higher your bill.”
“Don’t worry about my bill. In fact, I’ve arranged to have another payment transferred to your account tomorrow.”
“Much appreciated,” Derek said.
“I want you to call me twice a day, every day with updates. Call me at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Understood?”
“Absolutely. How long do you plan to stay in the Bahamas?”
“I’m not in the Bahamas, Mr. Cole. Never got on that plane. Never intended to. My wife is down there, and my son believes that I am with her, and I need you to assure me that you will not tell anyone that I am not where everyone thinks I am.”
“Where are you?” Derek asked.
“Chicago.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Chicago?” Derek questioned. “If the police find out that you’re in Chicago, then you’re going to quickly become a very sought after person.”
“You think that I’d actually leave town without my son?” Ken responded.
“Which son?” Derek asked.
“Don’t be a smart ass, Cole. You know I’m talking about Thomas. I found out about what the doctors and Saint Stevens did six months ago. I’ve been planning exactly how I was going to get my revenge when I got a call from Ralph Fox, telling me that Alexander Black had killed three people and had listed my family on his hit list. I’ll tell you that I am not at all upset that those bastards are dead. Wish I had the courage to kill them myself. But now that Alexander has made his intentions clear, I am focused on keeping my family safe and making damn sure that Straus, Lucietta, and Mix don’t get killed before I can make send them to prison.
“Mix is dying of cancer. He doesn’t have much time left, or so I’ve been told. I need you to find him first. I want to look him in his eyes and let him know what a waste of humanity he is. I want the last thing he hears is a jury finding him guilty and the last thing for him to see is seen through steel bars.
“Find him, Cole. Whatever it takes, and whatever it costs. You find Stanley Mix before Alexander does.”
“How did you learn about what happened with Alexander?” Derek asked.
“I got a call from Mix’s wife, Michelle. Told me everything that happened. Every last detail. Also told me that her husband Stanley was dying of cancer. Then she tried to convince me to just leave him the hell alone and that his guilt is what caused his cancer. I told her that I couldn’t care less about what caused his cancer or how long he had to live. I let her know that I would find a way to put all of those assholes in prison and make damn sure that the whole world knew what they did.”
“If you found out six months ago, why didn’t you go to the authorities then?”
“If someone called you out of the blue and told you the same story, would you believe it right off the bat or would you do some research?”
“Research, but not six months of it.”
“It took longer than you might imagine to verify her story. They covered their asses pretty damn well. The state of New York had zero information on Alexander Black since Straus kept him hidden in some closed-off ward in a now-closed psych hospital. It took a while to pick up a trail, and that trail leads straight to the lodge you are looking at right now.
“Once I discovered that the story was true, I started planning my next steps. Only thing was my next steps were interrupted by what Alexander Black is accused of doing.”
“Did you ever see Alexander? I mean, did you ever go out to Piseco Lake to verify?”
“Mr. Cole, I am a man of resources. No, I never went out to Piseco Lake, but I hired a few people who did all the verifying I needed. I received pictures of Alexander and copies of his entire file two weeks ago.”
“Mr. O’Connell,” Derek said, “I strongly suggest that you make your location known to the local authorities. Your name was on that list as well for whatever reason, and if the state police or Chief Ralph Fox find out you never boarded that plane, they will come looking for you and will have some targeted questions.”
“You worry about doing what I am paying you to do, and I’ll take care of myself. I know that my son is safe, but that doesn’t mean that he will stay safe. Find Straus, Lucietta, and Mix. And if you happen to find Alexander Black, give him a message for me.”
“And that message would be?”
“To leave my family the hell alone. Call me at 8:00 your time. Got it?”
“Got it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
William Straus was conflicted. He didn’t know what to concentrate on. His thoughts flipped between congratulating himself for his cunning and the intense fear that he knew demanded more of his focus.
When he received the call and heard the demands expected to him, Straus knew he had to respond with caution. Though he offered no resistance, he calculated how he would respond. He practiced which words he would use, how to use them, when, and even the tone of voice he would present the rehearsed words with. But he also planned his approach, and that planning, that calculation, was why he was still alive.